Overshoe



H. WESTLVING.

OVERSHOE. APPLICATION FILED FEB. 2.1920.

1,339,994, Patented May 11,1920.

HERMAN WESTLING, OF HUDSON, MASSACHUSETTS.

OVERSHOE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed February 2, 1920. Serial No. 355,740.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, HERMAN VESTLING, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Hudson, county vof Middlesex, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Overshoes, of which the following description, in connection with the accomto present a better appearance and also by gripping the neck portion of the shoe to retain the overshoe more firmly in place.

More specifically the invention relates to improvements in overshoes for ladies French heel shoes, comprising a heel which will substantially conform to the curvature of the French heel; the heel of said overshoe being provided with means which will allow the neck of the overshoe to expand sufficiently to permit the introduction of the heel vand which will act, when the overshoe is applied to the shoe, to retain the overshoe firmly upon it.

A further object of the invention is to provide a novel form of overshoe having a heel which will retain the oversoe upon the shoe whether the overshoe is provided with a full vamp, or with merely a sufficient toeV portion to grip the edges of the sole and the' tip portion of the shoe.

Other objects and features of the inven-Y tion will more fully appear from the following description and the accompanying drawings and will be pointed out more particularly in the annexed claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a perspective view of an overshoe having a toe-portion adapted to grip the edges of the sole and the tip of the shoe 'and a heel shaped to conform to the French heel of a' ladys shoe.

Fig. 2 is a similar view of an overshoe having a full vamp and a heel adapted to conform to the contour of a French heel, a portion of the heel being broken away to show the novel construction thereof.

Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view of the Patented May 11, 1920.

heel portion of an overshoe, embodying my l invention, in the act of being applied to the of the heel expanded to permit the intro-y duction of the tread portion of the heel of the shoe therethrough.

In the usual construction of rubber overshoes, particularly for ladies shoes, the toe portion of the shoe is so constructed as to lit the toe of the shoe, while the heel portion is of sufficient cross sectional area to permit the tread of the heel to be readily introduced through it, the rubber being retained upon the foot by reason of the fitting of the rear portion of the overshoe over the curved rear portion of the heel. In the usual construction, therefore, the overshoe does not conform to the contour of the neck 'portion of the heel which in ladies shoes concaved surface at the sides and rear of the heel. Consequently the overshoe presents an awkward and unpleasing appearance.

The present invention contemplates the production of an overshoe having a heel which will conform to the curvature of the neck portion of the French heel so that when the overshoe is applied, the appear'- ance of the foot will be as graceful as if it were without the overshoe.

This is accomplished by providing the neck portion of the heel with an elastic section which will stretch sufficiently to allow the introduction of the larger tread portion of the heel of the shoe and will immediately contract after the heel is inserted in vsuch a manner as to fit tightly aroundthe neck portion of the heel.

Such a construction, furthermore, is very advantageous in that itprovides an additional gripping means for holding the overshoe firmly in place so that the `overshoe tion 7, the tread portion of the overshoe being adapted to it the tread of the shoe and the neck portion 6 tapered or preferably concavedly curved to provide a smailer cross sectional area for the neck of the heel than that of the tread portion 7.

The neck portion of the heel is slitted and the Walls of the slits secured together by an elastic section. As illustrated in Fig. 1 a vertical slit 8 is provided preferably centrally of the breast of the heel and the walls of the slit are connected together by an overlying elastic member 9 of waterproof material, preferably pure rubber which is vulcanized to the walls of the slit so that when the heel is introduced the elastic section may stretch sufficiently to allow the walls of the slit to separate and thereby to permit the introduction of the heel. A similar slit may be provided at the rear of the neck of the heel and covered by a back-stay of elastic material, or both the breast of the heel and the back may be slitted and covered by sections of elastic material within the scope of my invention.

In Fig. 2 an overshoe is illustrated as comprising a sole 10, a full vamp 11, and a heel 12, having a neck portion 13 of smaller cross sectional area than that of the tread portion 111. A vertical slit 15, (see Fig. 4;) is provided at the rear of the neck portion and a back-stay 16 of highly elastic waterproof material of greater elasticity than the body of the overshoe is vulcanized to the vilralls 17 and 18 at the opposite sides of the s it.

Inasmuch as the body of the overshoe is usually constructed of fabric having waterproofed coating of rubber or similar material, it is not of sufficient elasticity to enable the tread of a French heel to be introduced into the overshoe if the heel of the overshoe is shaped to conform to the contour of the heel of the shoe. However, by providing a back-stay of pure rubber, orl other highly elastic material, to cover the slit 15 sufficient elasticity is provided to enable the heel of the shoe to be readily inserted into the overshoe.

If desired a similar slit 19 may be provided at the breast of the heel and covered by a strip 2O of similar highly elastic material vulcanized, or otherwise secured, to the walls 21 and 22 of the breast of the shoe upon opposite sides of the slit 19.

Ordinarily sufficient elasticity'may be provided for the neck portion of the heel by the back-stay which covers the slit in the rear, but it will be understood that as many slits may be provided in the fabric body of the heel as may be necessary, and that the elastic covering may be of such width as to cover the slit or slits, or if desired may eX tend entirely around the neck portion of the heel to present a pleasing appearance.

It will be understood that while the invention is disclosed herein as applied to ladies shoes having high French heels,7 having necks presenting concaved outer walls, the invention is adapted to be applied to other classes of shoes in which the heels present substantially straight walls, since overshoes having heels with neck portions of smaller cross sectional area than the treads will lit tightly upon the heels above the tread portion in such a manner as to conform more closely to the contour of the heels than in overshoesy heretofore constructed, and, furthermore, will have the additional advantage of providing a gripping of the heel which will prevent the overshoe from becoming detached.

Havingl thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. An overshoe comprising a heel having a tread portion and a neck, portion of smaller cross sectional area than said tread portion, said neck portion being provided with'a section of greater elasticity than the body of the heel adapted to allow sufficient eXpansion of said neck portion to permit the introduction of the heel of the shoe.

2. An overshoe comprising a heel having a tread portion and a neck portion of smaller cross sectional area than said tread portion, the wall of said neck portion being slitted and the walls of the slit connected by an elastic material adapted to allow suihcient expansion of said neck portion to permit the introduction of the heel.

3. An overshoe comprising a heel having a tread portion and a neck portion of smaller cross sectional area than said tread portion, the wall of the breast of the heel being provided with a slit and the walls of the slit connected by an elastic material adapted to allow sufficient expansion of the neck to permit the introduction of the heel.

4L. An overshoe comprising a toe and heel of waterproof fabric, said heel having a tread portion and a neck portion of smaller cross sectional area than said tread portion, said neck portion having a slit in the back thereof and a back-stay of elastic material overlying said slit and connected to said neck portion. y

5. An overshoe for shoes having French heels having a tread portion and a neck portion presenting a concavedly curved outer wall, comprising a tread portion adapted to fit the tread of the heel, and a concaved neck portion to fit the neck of the heel of the shoe, said neck portion having a vertical slit at its rear, and a back-stay of elastic material overlying said slit adapted to allow suflicient expansion of said neck portion to permit the introduction of the heel and upon contraction to cause the heel of the overshoe to fit'the heel of thev shoe.

6. An overshoe comprising a toe portion having a sole provided with marginal flanges to engage the edges of the sole of the shoe7 a heel having a neck portion of smaller cross sectional area than the tread of said heel and shaped to conform to the contour of the heel of the shoe, said neck portion heing provided with a vertical slit and a covering of elastic material secured to the neck portion of the shoe upon opposite sides 10 of the slit adapted to allow said neck portion to expand sufiici'ently to permit the introduction of the tread portion of the heel of the shoe therethrough.

In testimony whereof I have signed my 15 name to this specication.

HERMAN WESTLING. 

